head shaking, i know i'm being paranoid but...

[Heathcliffscathy]

gorgeous ds is coming up to eight months and is fabulous, crawling, pulling himself up to stand, babbling (no consonents but definite interaction iyswim)...just one thing worrying me, he has started shaking his head, like a cross between the action that we do when we say 'no' (altho it is not associated with no at all for him) and the wiggle of the head that is a stereotype of what an indian person might do (lots of people did do this when I went travelling in india)...

i've tried to ascertain whether he does it at any particular time, and it might be tiredness, or when he doesn't want anymore food, sometimes he does it when he seems v happy. I'm worried tho that it's because we've left him (on a very very few occasions) to cry

is it ok? is it normal? is it a sign of something bad?

anyone?

dear sophable - my ds2 still does this and he is now 12 months old. don't really know why he does it seems to do it when he's tired, bored or because it makes his older brother laugh.not so much now so he might be growing out of it. it might be the novelty of the sensation - maybe it makes them slightly dizzy? horses do this - its called 'weaving'. also just remembered my ex use to do this to get himself to sleep - and he was in his twenties! i would say its just a stage and not to worry

Ds is 7 months and I've just started to notice him doing a similar thing - seems to happen when he's tired or doesn't want any more food (or when he's tired AND he doesn't want any more food).

Other babies around his age in mums and babies groups I go to seem to do a similar thing as well, especially when tired.

And I leave DS to cry sometimes as well......I think we all do sometimes.

dd does this... call her stevie wonder!

she does it when she doesn´t want food... even seems to say the word ´No`already

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I have read that children like shaking their heads, spinning around, etc, because it causes a release of something (endorphins?) very similar to the high that some drugs give - but of course it's a safe high!

Both of mine did the head-shaking, dd did the 'Indian' one as well, and gradually dropped it over a few months. I think its discovering their bodies and learning to communicate.

you're all lovely and have made me really smile...he also likes leaning his head right back...i guess this comes under the same thing...i'm v reassured...thank you people

My DS started doing this at about 7 months too - he now just over 9 months and still does it - looks like fast and longer version of shaking head for no doesnt it

I just thought he was clever and was saying no to me lol

becca! did you get my email this time?????

Just noticed this sophable!?!? still no mail?

My ds loves head-shaking too (no wiggle though, that sounds even more entertaining). He does it so fast that I'm sure it makes him dizzy, presumably that's why he enjoys it so much. Has been doing it since about 8 or 9 months, he's almost 1 now.
HTH

It's not only normal, but this kind of stimulation of the inner ear is good for him. Babies love to be rocked, jiggled, spun round, go on swings - it's all the same sensation and your ds has learned to achieve it all by himself - clever boy

sophable
I echo all the wise advice already here
My DS2 did it at that age aswell, just for fun. Now he is crawling and cruising around like a bullet he doesn't do it anymore, so maybe iti is something to do with inner ear stimulation.